Space II
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Steven Pederson, Sherwin Steffin |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Space, Space II |
Space (also known as Space I) is a text-based role-playing video game created for the Apple II platform by Steven Pederson and Sherwin Steffin of Edu-Ware Services. It stands as one of the earliest science fiction RPGs available on personal computers. An expansion titled Space II, developed by David Mullich, was released within the same year.
The gameplay mechanics drew inspiration from the Traveller RPG produced by Game Designers' Workshop, which led to a copyright infringement lawsuit against Edu-Ware in 1982. This legal dispute was resolved out of court, resulting in the withdrawal of both Space and Space II from commercial distribution.
Gameplay
Participants generate characters set in a futuristic galactic civilization, assigning them to various military branches such as Navy, Army, Scouts, or Merchant Marines. Through training programs aligned with their qualifications, characters acquire proficiencies including hand-to-hand combat, bribery, sword fighting, computer operation, navigation, and piloting. This training also serves to improve their physical and cognitive attributes.
Characters may exit service after completing four-year terms without injury. Upon retirement, players can engage their characters in scenarios bundled with each game edition to accumulate wealth or assets; notably, only the Psychodelia scenario in Space II allows for modification of character abilities. As characters age, their attributes deteriorate, and any fatality during scenarios results in permanent deletion of the character file.
Development
The concept for Space originated from Pederson and Steffin during Pederson's time at UCLA. They leveraged this idea to obtain an Apple II computer from Rainbow Computing—a retailer distributing Edu-Ware titles—in exchange for discounted merchandise. Following Rainbow's premature announcement of Space, Pederson and Steffin dedicated 24 continuous hours to debugging efforts without printer access, demonstrating their dedication to finalizing the product.
Reception
Critics generally responded favorably to both titles, with Peelings II awarding an "A−" grade in its 1980 review. Conversely, Bruce Webster's critique in The Space Gamer No. 31 expressed hesitance, advising that the games were not worth the cost unless purchasers were prepared to implement modifications themselves.
Expansion pack
In 1979, David Mullich created Space II, marking his inaugural contribution to Edu-Ware's catalog. The expansion features a character creation system alongside two new scenarios. It is designed to challenge players through risk-reward decision-making processes.
Lawsuit
Edu-Ware faced a successful copyright infringement suit filed by Game Designers' Workshop in 1982 concerning their Traveller RPG. The resulting out-of-court agreement compelled Edu-Ware to discontinue both Space and Space II. By this time, Edu-Ware had already introduced the Empire space trilogy, which utilized an original role-playing system.
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